The fence builders of the Mount St. Helens Institute gathered recently at Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center on the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument for a fence maintenance project.

Too bad it was too early in the morning for the center to be open, because it may have been the last chance I would have to visit the building's displays.

Believe it or not, the $7 million center is scheduled to be mothballed this winter due to lack of funds to operate it. Thanks a lot, Congress!

To read the story and see more photos of the fence building project, click on "continue reading the entry.''

I'm not partial to fences that keep wild animals in, so when I learned of a fence to keep elk and deer out, I decided to see what it was all about.

The fence has been in place since 1992 at the 4,000-foot level near Mount St. Helens, but it requires annual maintenance because of the battering it takes from wind and snow.

So when the call for volunteers went out from the Mount St. Helens Institute, I gave up a Saturday of leisure, bought a pair of work gloves and joined the group at the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center.

The late June fence-building project was but one of many organized by the nonprofit institute, which partners with the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument to care for land around the volcano.

The elk fence enclosure allows scientists to study small patches of greenery, which came back naturally after the 1980 eruption, without hooved animals walking through and munching it down to the pumice.

For us volunteers, the reward for giving a day back to the land was the opportunity to spend time in an amazing place. Even 26 years after the eruption, Mount St. Helens never fails to astonish.

Our work project was in a part of the monument few people see. The view from the site encompassed the cloud-dappled maw of the volcano, the snowy ridges of the Mount Margaret backcountry and the windblown waves down on Coldwater Lake.

It was hard to keep my mind on the job.

A crew of 16 turned out to help Peter Frenzen, monument scientist, and Jessica Kimmick, the foundation's visitor program manager, build the fence.

But first, we had to tear the fence apart.

Our job was to fix one of the four sides. Since no self-respecting elk would be hanging out near our work party, it was safe to open up one of the sides. We removed some 2-by-4 posts and replaced them with stronger 4-by-4s. We also removed and replaced all the wire, which thankfully was not barbed.

All the volunteers except me were from Washington. They came from many points along Interstate 5, from Des Moines south to Battle Ground.

I've done these volunteer work parties before, but usually they are made up of yuppies like me. I had never seen a harder-working group than this one.

Corey Crimmins of Castle Rock brought his two sons, Colton, 16, and Michael, 13. A few years back he was a professional elk fence builder, constructing miles of it for the James River Corp. to protect poplar tree farms.

He and his boys worked through lunch without a break. At the end of the day, Corey carried the heaviest bundle of old wire back up the hill to the waiting truck.

Starr Wetzel had driven down from Tacoma. As she finished digging a three-foot hole to place a 12-foot long pole, I offered her the opportunity to complain about the job.

"It's been less work than I thought," she said. "It's been a nice, relaxed pace with a few breaks. The only problem I have is that I forgot my aspirin."

Arlen Black of Longview called the project a "ton of fun," a good break from the buttons he pushes at a Georgia-Pacific mill back in town.

Barbara Chapman of Kelso and Henry Panter of Woodland obviously had worked together before. Yes, they said, that's what they do. Every weekend, spring through fall, they volunteer on outdoor projects, most often with the maintenance arm of the Washington Trails Association.

"This project has been easy compared to a lot of others," said Chapman, noting the short hiking distance to the project (a quarter-mile) compared to some. "On other projects, we've had to saw down trees and dig out roots and rocks."

Jerry Peterson of Castle Rock even put his daughter, Lilly, 8, to work, but only when she wanted to. "She helps dig out the holes, pounds nails and carries tools," he said, as Lilly was catching a nap on a stump.

When the day's job was done, many of the volunteers headed to the monument's housing compound nearby, where they cooked dinner and stayed the night.

I drove home to Portland, but I knew they would be up there the next day working hard in the rain.

Before I left, I played a bit of a joke on the scientists by gathering some elk droppings from outside the fence and dropping them inside.

More info: To learn more about volunteer projects with the Mount St. Helens Institute, call 360-449-7883 or look on the Web at www.mshinstitute.org.

Terry RichardThe fence builders gather after parking to begin carrying loads down to the elk exclosure.

Terry RichardFirst, they had to set some 2-by-4s across the creek as a temporary bridge.

Terry RichardElk are prodigious jumpers, so the fence around the 60-yard by 60-yard site has to be eight feet high.

Terry RichardAlan Jones of Olympia was taking a day off from marathon training, so we let him carry a post by himself.

Terry RichardBob Willey of Ridgefield (left) and Jerry Peterson of Castle Rock do a more reasonable splitting of the load.

Terry RichardMichael Crimmins of Castle Rock and Bob Latham of Longview wrestle with the old wire.